


Unbreakable Bonds

by ohheyeri



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff, Fred Weasley Dies, Friendship, Idiots in Love, Love, Multi, fred and katie, freds death still hurts, friend
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-21
Updated: 2020-06-23
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:41:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,599
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24844732
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ohheyeri/pseuds/ohheyeri
Summary: Katie Bell has always been plain. Her brother has an interesting job and her sister is gorgeous and popular. The most interesting thing about her? Her bond with two troublesome twins. (Character death in future)
Relationships: Katie Bell/Fred Weasley
Kudos: 2





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Previously posted by myself in 2012 on Fanfiction, I recently got my muse back for this. I hope you enjoy!

It started out like a dream. I was eleven years old, finally old enough to get into Hogwarts. My older sister had never gotten her letter, but that was alright, she had said.  
"Really, sis, I'm fine. After all, I've never truly been into magic. The Muggle world is the world for me."  
That's what she told me when I looked at her with concern flooding my face all those years ago when my brother got his yearly letter from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, but no acceptance letter had come for her. I was five at the time. Now I was eleven, heading off to King's Cross Station to board the Hogwarts Express. This was a dream come true.  
The wall between Platforms 9 and 10 looked solid enough, but I knew better.  
"Alright, sweetheart. Together now," my father said, placing a hand on my shoulder.  
He led me through the barrier at a run so no passing Muggles would notice. Muggles were a bit slow sometimes, but I was fascinated by them. My sister always brought me things from shopping with her friends- she attended Muggle schools and stayed with them often since they couldn't come to our house by Wizarding Law. I had many movies from an American Muggle production agency called "Disney." They were a bit dull and the witches were always horrid, nothing like real life. She promised next time she went shopping, she'd bring me a better film.  
In all honesty, I loved my home, but I had no friends like my sister did. She was tall, blonde, beautiful, well-endowed, and popular. She was seventeen years old. I, meanwhile, was eleven. I was short for my age, with mouse-brown hair and matching brown eyes. I was scrawny. My dad always said I was beautiful, but I knew better. He was a father after all. He was supposed to say that.  
I secretly hoped that I would someday live past my sister. I would be a star Quidditch player. I would marry someone rich like the legendary Harry Potter who had supposedly been left riches in Galleons, Sickles, and Knuts by his parents who'd been murdered by You-Know-Who. I would become the most beautiful witch in London. Nothing would get in my way.  
Except the fact I had no friends yet.  
As I made my way through the train corridor, I fantasized about my future. When the train began moving, I realized I'd better find a seat. Unfortunately, most of the compartments were full. I moved along until I found one with an opening. There were five other people in there, second-years probably, but hopefully they wouldn't mind sharing with this scrawny first-year.  
"Well well well! What do we have here?" one of the boys, tall with red hair, chocolate brown eyes, and freckles, said putting one hand on the train wall behind me.  
"Oh my. A little first year lost on the train?" this one was the same. Identical. Red hair, brown eyes, and freckles. He was maybe an inch taller though.  
"How may we be of service, m'lady?" This boy was different. He had dark skin and his hair was rolled into dreadlocks. The three were clearly very close friends.  
"For Merlin's sake, don't scare the poor thing," said a girl, shoving them out of the way. She had dark skin, too, and her hair was tied back in a bun on top of her head. She was the leader of the group, I suspected. "Sorry about them. They can be a real handful. What's your story, girly? Need a place to sit? A shoulder to cry on?"  
"A good laugh?"  
"Can it, Ginger!" the other girl in the compartment said, kicking the twin who had spoken in the shin.  
"Ow! Blimey Alicia! What in the name of Merlin's beard was that for?"  
The girl, blond hair, blue eyes, and all, simply sniffed and turned away.  
She's one of those girls, I thought.  
The girl in front of me rolled her eyes.  
"Name's Angelina Johnson," she said, extending a hand. I accepted it. "This is Alicia Spinnet and Lee Jordan. Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum over there are Fred and George Weasley."  
"The infamous Fred and George Weasley," one of them, the shorter one, corrected.  
"Yeah don't forget we saved your arses last year. You should be thanking Fred and I," the other one added.  
Angelina punched each of them in the shoulder.  
"Listen, sods. I think you're forgetting the whole reason you two have all us as friends in the first place."  
"Blimey, Ange. Do you really have to hit us every time we displease you?" George said, rubbing his arm. I giggled.  
"So! What's your name, beautiful?" Fred said, snaking an arm around my shoulder.  
"My name's Katie. Katie Bell," I said kindly, smiling at them all.  
"Well, Miss Katie Bell, I should warn you," Angelina said to me. "If you wanna join this group, you don't know what you're getting yourself into. The twins are nothing but trouble for girls and teachers alike. Lee's their wingman. Alicia’s nice enough once you get to know her. And as for me-"  
George snorted. "Good luck," he said, winking, getting him another smack from Angelina.  
I smirked and raised an eyebrow. "Don't worry about me, Angelina. I think I'll fit in just perfectly."  
And so, our unbreakable bond was built.


	2. Lucky Little Gits

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Three years later, Katie gets a letter from her mother. What could it say? Has something happened?

"Oh, don't be so jealous there, Katie-Bug," George said, pulling me into a one-armed hug. I continued pouting and kept my arms crossed.  
"C'mon, Kates," Fred coaxed from my other side, leaning down to stare at me until I finally cracked. "You can't be mad forever."  
"Who says I can't, Frederick?" I bit my tongue. Dammit. They did it again.  
"Hah! Gotcha talkin'!"  
"Oh, can it, George," I said, moving out of his embrace and sitting on the floor by the fireplace.  
It was the end of my fourth year. Final exams were almost over and everyone was beginning to pack up for the summer holidays. George, Fred, and I were in the common room waiting on Lee, Angelina, and Alicia to return from dinner. We'd gone to the kitchens as a final visit of the year to the darling house elves. They really were quite charming. It's a shame many people treat them so cruelly.  
Fred and George had just told me they were going to the Quidditch World Cup the upcoming summer. Those lucky little gits. They hadn't even invited me! Me! Their best friend! Okay, that's a lie. Their best friend is Lee... But still! Summer is when the whole group gets together and stays at the Burrow and gets stuffed with delicious food by Mrs. Weasley and has mini Quidditch matches in the front lawn and messes with Fred and George's brothers and sister! They can't just up and change the tradition! It wasn't fair!  
Okay, I wasn't mad about that. Really. I was just jealous. It was Ireland vs Bulgaria this year. Viktor Krum, literally the most famous young athlete on the planet, was going to be playing and I was MISSING it. It was completely unfair! The Weasley's had invited Harry Potter and Hermione Granger, but they couldn't let Fred and George invite us!? Okay, so they're low on money (that's an understatement) and Harry had probably offered to pay for himself (not that they’d let him)... Now that I thought about it, I was being unreasonable. I should just shut up and move on.  
So we were in the common room already planning pranks for the next year. Eventually, the others joined us. It was ll. Our friendship couldn't be matched by anything. No one else had this bond. Except maybe Harry, Ron, and Hermione, but they were bonded through different reasons, being the Gryffindor heros that they were. They'd saved Quirrell from Voldemort's control, (sure he’d died anyway, but they were ELEVEN). They'd saved Ginny Weasley last year. Rumor now has it that they somehow saved Hagrid's hippogriff Buckbeak from being executed just last week. But that's only a rumor. No one's confirmed it yet. Those three are amazing in their way and we, the token pranksters of the school, are amazing in more ways than one.  
"OH BLIMEY, GINGER! COME ON! REALLY?!"  
Exhibit A: Our pranking skills.  
Lee's hair was now a bright shade of pink, his least favorite color. Fred and I laughed hysterically, earning us a glare from the boy. He smirked evilly and waved his wand. I dodged, but Fred was far too slow. His hair was now rapidly alternating between every shade of purple imaginable.  
"Joke's on you! Purple's my favorite!"  
Fred and Lee sent prank spells and hexes back and forth at each other. George and I sat and watched while Angelina pretended not to know them and Alicia flirted with our Quidditch captain, Oliver Wood, who would be graduating from Hogwarts in a few days.  
After all the laughter and shenanigans had died down, George sighed and wiped away one of his tears from laughing so hard and lay his head in my lap. Or was it Fred? No wait. I blinked a little and my vision cleared. His face was narrower than the twin sitting up next to Lee, so it was George. I had a hard time telling them apart sometimes. Not usually, but after a laughing fit when my eyes are still blurred from tears, it's a little hard.  
I looked down at him and, smirking, raised an eyebrow. "Might I help you, Georgie?"  
"Well, for one, you could start by looking past the Polyjuice and realizing by now that I'm Fred," the boy said, grinning. The minute changes between Fred and George's facial features began to shift to match the other twin. I hit myself in the forehead. How didn't I see that coming? George never lays in my lap or sits near me. And Fred isn't as close to Lee as George is. Of course they'd used Polyjuice Potion.  
"Honestly, woman. You call yourself our best friend," the REAL George said, grinning from his spot by Lee. They exchanged a high-five.  
"Using Polyjuice is cheating, you wankers."  
Fred pretended to look shocked. "Katherine! Such language! I'm shocked!"  
I smacked him in the arm and he cried out in mock pain. I never hit the boys hard enough to actually hurt them. I left that to Ange. At that moment, Harry came in through the portrait hole carrying loads of letters. It'd been his turn to fetch everyone's mail. He threw everyone their rightful letters and packages. I knew I wouldn't get anything. My sister was too caught up in the Muggle technology to ever write and my parents were both at work at this time of day, especially now that Sirius Black was at large again. The Ministry had been calling them in for overtime nearly every night.  
I was rather surprised when Harry thrust a letter at me, smiling a fake smile. Had he opened my mail? No. It was the seal on the envelope. It was from the Ministry. My heart pounded in my chest. A thousand possibilities rang in my mind. They've been attacked. They're in St. Mungo's. Sirius Black's found them. Jessica's been arrested for something. Spencer's in trouble. My family's been murdered.  
Slowly I opened the letter, hands trembling, not sure that I wanted to know what was inside.  
Dearest Katie,  
I'm sorry to have to write to you during work. I'm sure the official seal worried you. Everyone is perfectly fine, there's no need for worry. Minister Fudge requires that all mail being sent out must be sealed with the Ministry's seal. Your father and I have been called on an urgent meeting out of town and we're not sure when we'll be back. Jessica's going to be on her trip to Paris to visit her friend's cousin and Spencer is still in Romania, so clearly you can't stay home while we're gone. I've had it made with Arthur Weasley that you can stay with them until our return. Just in case we're gone the entire summer, I've enclosed a ticket to the Quidditch World Cup so you won't be stuck alone with Mrs. Weasley Arthur and the other children are off having fun. I went through hell and back to get this for you so please, darling, try not to misplace it. Have fun with your friends, my dear. I do hope to see you soon.  
Love always,  
Mum  
I stared at the letter. Fred read over my shoulder and whistled.  
"Your mum must really love you, Kates. Those tickets aren't cheap. Even dad had to pay an arm and a leg for ours and he’s in the ministry, too."  
I didn't know what to say. If I was going with them... then I'm a lucky little git, too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry the chapters are so short so far! These are the ones I wrote back in 2012. The newer ones are longer!


	3. Back to the Burrow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summer at the Burrow is always Katie's favorite thing, but could things be changing this year?

I had always loved going to the Weasleys’ during the summers. Their parents always welcomed any friends of their children with open arms and treated us like family. We didn’t mind helping with the chores because they always did so much for us. Mrs. Weasley would spend all day cooking and doing laundry for her children and myself, Harry, and Hermione. There were extra mouths to feed and bodies to clothe this year as her other sons were in town for the Cup as well. 

Bill worked for Gringotts as a curse breaker and had been abroad in Egypt and Charlie worked with dragons in Romania with my brother. 

The day after term ended, I awoke in the Burrow to the sun rising and shining on my face. Grumbling, I turned over and pulled the pillow over my head. I’d stay there a few more minutes before heading downstairs to start on chores with the others.

I took a peek across the room at Ginny to see if she’d had the same idea but she wasn’t there, which was odd. She hated being the first one up. The earliest risers had to degnome the garden. 

Sitting up, I stretched and yawned and rubbed my eyes. “Ginny?” I called out, but got no answer. 

Frowning, I climbed out of the cot Mrs. Weasley had set up and carefully picked my way between my cot and the one that they’d set up for Hermione in case she came earlier than expected. Once I reached the door, I cracked it open and peered out into the hallway.

It was eerily quiet in the tall, lopsided home. Even with Mr. Weasley, Percy, and Bill all at work, the home should’ve been alive with sound. 

BANG!

Ah. There it was.

“HOW MANY TIMES HAVE I TOLD YOU NOT TO PUT THINGS IN YOUR SISTER’S SHAMPOO?” came Mrs. Weasley’s voice from the kitchen below, followed by the howling laughter of Fred and George before the clambering sounds of their footsteps told me they were running toward the safety of their room. 

Having learned better the last few years, I shut the door and quietly made my way back into my cot just in time for Ginny to burst into the room, the tips of her hair singed and the look of murder in her brown eyes.

“THEY’VE REALLY DONE IT THIS TIME!” she bellowed, slamming the door behind her, earning her a scolding from her mother.

She huffed and stomped across the room to her closet, banging the doors open and throwing articles of clothing onto her bed before settling on a pair of jean shorts and a ratty Holyhead Harpies shirt. She slipped on some sneakers and left again, pausing to tell me I’d be helping the twins clean out the broomshed, before stomping back down the stairs to the kitchen where her mother was, more than possibly, going to have to undo the damage her brothers had done to her hair.

Once I was sure she couldn’t hear anymore, I finally succumbed to the laughter I’d been holding in, clutching my sides. What Ginny and her mother didn’t know was that the flaming shampoo was my doing. It was meant for Ron.

When I finally calmed down and wiped the tears from my eyes, I climbed off the cot once more and opened my trunk. It was totally unorganized, just like the rest of my life. 

Settling on a simple black tank and jean shorts and black sandals, I threw my hair up in a ponytail and set off downstairs to the kitchen. I swiped some toast and jam before heading outside to meet Fred and George in the broomshed. 

I was the first one there, of course, and sat down on a crate. I wasn’t going to be the one doing more work than anyone else. I looked around the small, dark shed and smiled, breathing in the familiar air. The brooms with chipped handles and bent twigs. The ratty vintage Quidditch uniforms and team shirts. The sunlight peeking through the cracks in the walls and the space under the door. It was like home. Better than home. I loved my family but I couldn’t deny the warmth that surrounded me when I stayed at the Burrow. It felt right in a way that I couldn’t explain. The chaos, the love, the food, the friends. It was better than home, better than Hogwarts. Better than sitting in the Three Broomsticks with a warm mug of Butterbeer on a cold winter’s day. 

The door banging open brought me out of my daydream and back to reality, and sent a few spiders into hiding. Fred and George were standing there wearing identical grins and matching clothes. Always matching so nobody could tell them apart. 

“Well, I think the Singeing Shampoo is a definite ‘yes’ for the shop, don’t you Kates?” Fred said immediately, beginning to toss the brooms back to George so we could begin cleaning and decluttering the shed. 

I stood up, still barely reaching his shoulder, and scoffed. “It wasn’t meant for Ginny, you daft clone.”

“Collateral damage,” George responded, shrugging as he tipped the brooms out of his arms and onto the ground. 

“And don’t call us clones,” Fred chipped in. “I’m clearly more attractive.”

I giggled and began catching spiders in a jar so we could release them at the lake as George feigned offense and pretended to cry.

The chore shouldn’t have taken very long, but we were too busy joking around to notice the time flying by.

At lunch time, we put the brooms and uniforms back in the shed and headed back into the house where Mrs. Weasley had packed some sandwiches into a basket for us to take to the lake. 

After changing into our bathing suits, we departed for the lake at the edge of the Weasleys’ property. I spread out a blanket near the lake’s edge and Ginny set up the picnic. Fred and George were already teasing Ron and trying to throw him off the dock into the lake. I laughed and decided it best not to interfere. I’d only get soaked.

We ate our fill of sandwiches and had a fun time in the lake. I lay on the dock on my stomach watching the Weasleys play their usual games of chicken and Marco Polo. Smiling, I closed my eyes and listened to their laughter as the sun warmed my back and the frogs croaked around me.

This moment was perfect and I hated that it had to end so soon.

Someone climbed up onto the dock and lied down beside me. I didn’t open my eyes to see who. I was enjoying this minute of peace without any pranks or chores.

“Katie,” Fred’s voice said. “D’you suppose this could last forever?” It was like he’d read my mind.

I opened one eye and peaked at him. He was laying on his back with his head resting on his arms. His shaggy red hair was soaked and a wet spot was forming underneath him. I shifted so I was lying on my back, my arms at my sides, and looked up at the sky with him.

“That cloud looks a bit like Neville’s toad,” he said before I could answer his question.

I squinted at the cloud in question. “I suppose if you’re looking hard enough.”

He turned onto his side to face me and I did the same. His chocolate brown eyes peered into mine.  
We stayed like that for a minute, not speaking, just enjoying each other’s company. After a minute, he reached over and took my hand, lacing his fingers through mine. It was nothing new. We’d always been close. The only thing different was when he brought my hand up to his mouth and kissed my fingers. 

I felt myself blush but before I could say anything, a large wave splashed over us and we both jumped up from the sudden cold, coughing and sputtering. 

“Oh now you’ve done it!” Fred shouted as his siblings guffawed. Grinning, he took a running start and jumped off the dock into the lake, leaving me even with more questions than one of McGonagall’s tests.

When the sun started to set and the crickets started singing, Mrs. Weasley called for dinner. We gathered our things and set off up the slanted yard toward the house. I walked between Fred and George and shivered lightly. It was starting to cool down and the night breeze chilled my still wet body. 

“C’mon, Katie-bug, don’t tell us you’re cold,” Fred teased, wrapping an arm around me. Goosebumps spread across my arms. 

What was happening? Fred’s held me plenty of times before. 

“Don’t tease me, Freddie,” I pouted. “Some of us aren’t human space heaters.”

“It’s better than being a human ice cream,” he retorted, using his free hand to poke my nose.

I scrunched my nose up and swatted his hand away. I noticed George giving us a questioning look and cleared my throat.

“Anyway,” Fred said, trying to clear away the awkwardness, “how d’you suppose the Cup will end?”

“I’m going all in on Bulgaria,” I quipped, which earned me some gasps.

“Traitor!” Fred gasped in mock disapproval.

“She’s just hoping to get lucky with Krum,” George said, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

I smacked his arm as we reached the back door of the Burrow. “Why? Wanting to watch, Georgie-boy?”

“Well now there’s an interesting question,” he chuckled.

Fred laughed, too, but it sounded different somehow. Forced. I looked at him, concerned, but he just smiled his patented Fred Weasley smile and told me it was nothing. Somehow I didn’t believe him.

Dinner was delicious, as usual, yet uneventful. We were all too tired from our day of lake activities to do much pranking, despite wanting Percy to shut up about his cauldron reports. It got so boring I almost wished I was back at school in a History of Magic class.

After we helped Mrs. Weasley clear away the dishes and pack up the remaining food for the working mens’ lunches the next day, Ginny and I headed upstairs to clean away the grime of the day and change into our pajamas. When we arrived back in the den, Ron and George were sitting on the floor lost in a game of Exploding Snap and Fred was sitting on the sofa, head leaned back and eyes closed, quietly humming the Hogwarts school song. I suppressed a laugh. He acted like he hated school, but I knew he missed everything about it. Bill and Charlie were at the kitchen table discussing the upcoming Cup while Mrs. Weasley busied herself in the kitchen, already making preparations for the next day’s breakfast. Percy had long since retreated to his room to continue his reports and Mr. Weasley sat in his regular chair reading the Daily Prophet and occasionally muttering to himself about the articles. It was calm and quiet and I couldn’t help but smile as I remembered the rest of the summer would be like this. 

Ginny flopped down on the floor to watch her brothers’ card game while I lay on the sofa with my head in Fred’s lap. Without opening his eyes or ceasing his humming, he brought a hand down from the arm of the sofa and stroked my hair back from my forehead. It was soothing and I swore I could’ve fallen asleep right then and there. 

Between our moment on the dock, Fred’s uncomfortable laugh at the idea of me shagging Krum, and this, I began to wonder. Did he fancy me?


	4. At the Cup

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Quidditch World Cup is all that's been on Katie and the twins' minds all summer, but will everything go smoothly? Will Fred and Katie FINALLY do something about their flirting?

The next few weeks went by too fast for my liking. I wanted the summer to last forever. The days at the lake, the long walks I took with Fred and George, the pranks we pulled on Percy, and Mrs. Weasley’s home cooked meals were all things I would cherish forever. Fred and I were becoming ever closer, and there wasn’t a moment you couldn’t find us holding hands, sitting right beside each other, or laying across each other’s laps. I wondered if this was going to last into the school year or this was just a summer fling. I made up my mind that I was going to find the chance to talk to him about it before the start of term.  
The morning of the Cup found us waking up before dawn, stumbling bleary eyed down the winding stairs of the Burrow, with our bags slung over our shoulders. It was a bit of a walk to the place we’d be meeting other families in the area who would be traveling with us to the campsite and, more importantly, the Cup.  
I walked between Fred and George, all of us still tired, sleep heavy on our eyelids, and the warm beds and handknitted quilts at the Burrow calling to us. Behind us, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny weren’t in much better shape. Percy, Bill, and Charlie got to sleep in (lucky gits) because they were old enough to Apparate. We had to use a Portkey.  
After what seemed like ages, we met up with Cedric Diggory and his father. Hermione and Ginny giggled and started whispering. He winked in our direction and even I found myself blushing. Fred instantly grabbed my hand and squeezed and Cedric looked away. I looked up toward him, about to ask what he did that for, but before I could, his father directed us forward again and we made our way to the Portkey- ours happened to be a mangled old boot.  
We each reached out to touch it, and were immediately spun, faster and faster until I thought I might vomit. Finally we stopped. Mr. Weasley, Mr. Diggory, and Cedric found their footing with ease as the rest of us stumbled, fell, and tripped over each other.  
The check in process was fast, but it still felt like forever because Mr. Weasley stopped to count out his Muggle money and converse with the man running the campsite.  
Finally we arrived at our spot, and Mr. Weasley went about setting up the tents while Harry, Ron, and Hermione went off to collect water for the teapot, Ginny went to collect firewood, and the twins and I explored. We ran into a few classmates, and passed a large lavish tent with albino peacocks strutting about in front of it.  
“It’s only for one night, who needs to bring a whole manor?” George snorted.  
I’d become so used to Fred holding my hand, I didn’t even see it as something unusual when we ran into Alicia and Angelina and they both gave me knowing smirks. I shot them a nasty glare and we continued on. I bought a few souvenirs but the twins refused, saying they had other ideas for their money, and sure enough, back at the tent, they started making bets with Ludo Bagman, a man from the ministry who helped arrange the Cup. Mr. Crouch, who was Percy’s boss, scolded Mr. Bagman, while Mr. Weasley scolded the twins. I tried not to laugh, but this was so uniquely Fred and George. It’s exactly something they’d do.  
That evening, we, along with thousands of other witches and wizards, filed into the large stadium. We were all lucky enough to sit in the Minister’s box. The Malfoy family was there, to nobody’s surprise, and of course, Draco and his father started making comments toward the Weasleys. Mr. Weasley tried to ignore them. After all, he’d been in a physical fight with Lucius Malfoy two years previous, and he didn’t want to hurt his family like that again. Fred and George had to restrain Ron, though, when Draco made a comment toward him personally.  
Finally, Mr. Bagman began to announce the match and we all settled down. All of the men in the box- no, the stadium- absolutely became drooling messes when the Veela came out to do their dance during the halftime performance. I noticed, with a pang, that Fred was one of those men and shot a dirty look down toward the field, though I knew they couldn’t see it.  
Almost too fast for anyone to see, Krum caught the Snitch! However, it didn’t get Bulgaria the win. Ireland had far too many points for the Snitch’s points to matter.  
Back in the tent, Fred and George kept boasting, shouting, and dancing Irish jigs. George teased me about “missing my chance with Krum”. Fred punched him in the shoulder. Ron went on a long rant about Krum, almost as if he was drunkenly professing his love and his brothers performed a love ballad on the spot about Ron and Krum. At some point, Mr. Weasley left the tent mumbling about “drunken Irishmen giving away the wizarding world secrets”.  
We all settled down and changed into our pajamas, huddling around the fireplace in the large tent Mr. Weasley had borrowed before us girls moved into the adjoining, smaller tent.  
The fire was warm and I felt my eyes drooping. I leaned my head on Fred’s shoulder and he wrapped an arm around me, tracing patterns on my arm. I closed my eyes as someone draped a blanket around us and something that felt extremely similar to Fred’s mouth pressed against the top of my head.  
I tilted my head to look at him.  
“What was-?”  
But before I could finish my question, Mr. Weasley came flying back into the tent, shouting at us all to grab what we could and run for the Portkey. His face was white as a parchment and droplets of sweat were running down his face, fogging up his horn rimmed glasses.  
We all jumped up, grabbing wands first, bags later, and rushed out of the tent.  
Outside was a horrifying sight. People in dark cloaks, hoods, and masks were marching through the campsite, four people floating above them being twisted into impossible positions and screaming out in pain.  
“What is that?” I whispered in horror, but nobody answered. Fred and George grabbed mine and Ginny’s hands and we took off running, back toward the entrance.  
We heard pops and cracks all around us as adult wizards started Disapparating and firing off spells trying to fend off the intruders. We didn’t know how, or when, but we lost track of Mr. Weasley and the others.  
Finally, as we neared the check in, we saw a familiar face. Wasting no time, Mr. Diggory tossed us a random Portkey, ignoring our shouts of protest, and the spinning began again.  
We landed in front of the Burrow’s front door. Pops behind us told us Bill, Charlie, and Percy had arrived just after us.  
“Where’s Dad?” Bill wasted no time.  
“I- I don’t know,” I’d never heard Fred so terrified.  
“We lost him!” George shouted, fists shaking in fear, or fury, or both.  
“Mr. Diggory shoved us to a Portkey before we could wait for him,” I offered up.  
Bill swore, then he and Charlie immediately Disapparated again.  
Percy ushered us all inside, and pulled his mother aside to quietly tell her what had happened. She went pale, and Percy stepped into the fireplace, which went alight with green flames as he spun out of sight.  
“Go upstairs and clean up, all of you,” she said in a shaky voice, but we were all rooted to the spot.  
Fred hadn’t let go of my hand and Ginny was clinging to George, tears in her eyes.  
Mrs. Weasley huffed. “Fine,” she sounded like she was about to cry as well. “Then at least move to the den so you won’t be in the way when your brothers and father return. I’ll put on some tea.”  
She raised one shaky hand and tried to summon the kettle, but it flew past her and slammed against the opposite wall.  
“Mum, let me. Go sit down,” George said softly, nodding at all of us to go with her. He gathered the kettle and set it on to boil.  
We were all still in our pajamas, sweaty from fear and running. Ginny was crying, and Fred was silently staring at the door from his place on the sofa. I stroked the back of his hand in what I hoped was a comforting manor and he managed a small, shaky smile.  
It seemed like hours of waiting, with no word and our tea having gone cold, before Mr. Weasley arrived with Harry, Ron, and Hermione in tow.  
Mrs. Weasley immediately jumped up to embrace them all in turn.  
“Bill and Charlie stayed behind to help people find their way to the check-in,” he explained, wiping his brow with a handkerchief. “Up to bed, all of you,” he added sternly, but none of us felt like we’d be able to sleep.  
Still, we trudged up the stairs, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny went into Ginny’s room, and I went with Fred and George to theirs.  
I sank down on Fred’s bed, unsure what to say. Worried about what just happened. Wondering if my parents were okay.  
“What was that?” I finally broke the silence.  
“I-,” Fred started to say but couldn’t find the words. He pushed his hair back from his eyes and lay back on his bed. I looked down at him. I’d never seen him this scared. Fred Weasley had no fear. It was his reputation. He wasn’t afraid of teachers, or dares, or bets, or anything.  
I hated to see him like this. Not even an hour ago, we were snuggled up by the fire, maybe about to kiss. It all felt rather silly now.  
“Shower,” I muttered, getting off the bed and leaving the room.  
Downstairs, I could hear Mr. Weasley talking and picked up the words “Death Eaters.”  
I felt the color leave my face. My parents had told me about them, everyone’s parents had. If they were at the game… was He back? What would happen to us?  
I took a deep, shuddering breath, and slipped into Ginny’s room for a change of clothes, then padded to the bathroom for a shower.  
Once under the hot water, I let the tears out, holding a hand over my mouth so nobody would hear my sobs.  
I don’t know how long I was in there before someone knocked.  
“Katie?” a voice said. Under the running water, I couldn’t tell who it was.  
I quickly washed up with my strawberry shampoo and bodywash, turned off the water, dried myself, and put on my clean pajamas, dropping the old ones into the basket labeled “Guests”. When I opened the door, Fred was there, looking at me with concern.  
“We’re all sleeping down in the den,” he said softly. “Nobody really wants to sleep alone.”  
I nodded and looked away so he wouldn’t see I’d been crying.  
“I’ll be down in a minute,” I whispered.  
He looked at me, but didn’t say anything, and left to gather a pillow and his blanket from his room.  
I took another deep breath before gathering my pillow and blanket from Ginny’s room and descending the stairs.  
The den had been transformed as much as it could be. The sofa and armchairs were pushed back to the walls and many fluffy quilts were spread out into a large makeshift bed. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny were already tucked in nearest to one side, George was on the opposite end. I lay down beside him leaving room for Fred on my other side.  
In the kitchen, Charlie was insisting his mother take the sofa, he was more comfortable on the ground anyway. Mr. Weasley and Percy were both at the Ministry, already starting to work around the clock to find out why this had happened. Bill was sitting in one of the armchairs, as if he was watching over us.  
A large tawny owl flew through an open window and dropped a sealed envelope onto my stomach. I sat up immediately and ripped it open, scanning it for any news.  
I let out a sigh I didn’t know I’d been holding as I saw it was from my mother herself, letting me know she and my father were both safe, not to worry, and not to leave the Weasleys’ sights. She would try to see me off when the Express left for the new term but she couldn’t make any promises. A tear rolled down my cheek and someone wiped it away.  
“They’re okay,” Fred whispered, pulling me to him.  
I didn’t even notice he’d sat down beside me.  
I clutched the letter to my chest as he pulled me to lay down against him. George rolled over to face us and rubbed my arm gently.  
“They’re alright, Katie,” he said, smiling. “We’re all okay.”  
I sniffled and wiped the tears from my eyes, stuffing the letter in my pillowcase before I took both their hands in mine. My twins, my boys, my best friends.  
“We’re okay,” I whispered.  
The lights went out as Mrs. Weasley stepped between Fred and Ginny to lay on the sofa, tutting and muttering about how she was supposed to take care of her children, not the other way around.  
A chuckle sounded to George’s other side. “G’night, Mum,” Charlie said.  
A chorus of “goodnights,” and “sweet dreams” went around the room and it went quiet, save for the sounds of our breathing.  
George and Fred let me hold their hands as long as I needed. They could be very, very sweet when they wanted to be.  
Everyone started falling asleep at different intervals, until eventually only Fred and I were awake. George had long since let go of my hand to flip onto his stomach and stuff his arms under his pillow, but it was okay. I was calm by then.  
I shifted until I was on my side, facing Fred. Just like on the dock, he was on his back with his arms behind his head, staring up at nothing. I leaned over and kissed his cheek.  
“Thank you, Fred,” I whispered.  
“For what?” he said softly, turning his head to face me.  
“Everything,” I smiled, lightly stroking his hair with my fingertips.  
He shifted so he was facing me and lazily threw his arm over my waist, holding me close to him. It was nothing new. We’d slept like this on more than one occasion: during late night study sessions in the common room, last term when Sirius Black had attacked and the whole school had slept in the Great Hall, and on campouts by the lake last summer. I closed my eyes and snuggled close to him as he traced gentle circles on my skin. I could have stayed like this forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I KNOW, I KNOW, I'M EVIL!


End file.
